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Gyeonghoeru pavilion standing in its pond at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul
Buyongjeong pavilion on the edge of Buyongji pond in the Secret Garden
Aerial view of the Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone and its crater on Jeju
Painted houses stepping down the hillside of Gamcheon Culture Village at sunset
Hanok roofs lining the slope of Bukchon-ro 11-gil in Bukchon Hanok Village

Things to do in South Korea: 28 experiences worth the trip

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Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0

Seoul (Jongno)

Tour the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung with a timed ticket

Tours in South Korea

Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC0

Seongsan, Jeju Island

Watch sunrise from the rim of Seongsan Ilchulbong

Check dates and prices

Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and…, CC BY-SA 2.0

Busan (Saha-gu)

Follow the stamp map through Gamcheon Culture Village

Tours in South Korea

Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Seoul (Jongno)

Walk Bukchon Hanok Village within its visiting hours

Check dates and prices

Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

South Korea fits royal Seoul, Silla temples, granite mountains, two coasts and a volcanic island into one trip, linked by fast KTX trains and a cheap, frequent bus network. This list starts in Seoul with its palaces, markets and river, then runs to Suwon and the DMZ, the southeast around Busan, Gyeongju, Andong and Pohang, Seoraksan on the east coast and Jeju Island, and each entry says which day is closed, which slot to book and which station exit to use.

Little needs booking far ahead. The exceptions are the guided tours of the Secret Garden at Changdeokgung, the two summit trails on Hallasan, temple stays and anywhere near Jinhae in cherry blossom week. Two things changed recently: the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom has been closed to the public since July 2023, and Bukchon Hanok Village limits tourists to 10:00 to 17:00 in its busiest lanes.

Spanish, US and most large EU passport holders need no visa for a short stay and are exempt from K-ETA until 31 December 2026. Check the K-ETA portal before you fly, because not every EU country is on the list.

28 things to do in South Korea

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Geunjeongjeon throne hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace under a blue sky

Explore Gyeongbokgung Palace, any day but Tuesday

Seoul (Jongno)

No booking needed

Cross the main palace of the Joseon kings to a pavilion in its pond, and get in free if you wear a complete hanbok.

Tours in South Korea
Hanok roofs lining the slope of Bukchon-ro 11-gil in Bukchon Hanok Village

Walk Bukchon Hanok Village within its visiting hours

Seoul (Jongno)

Free

Walk the lanes of a lived-in neighbourhood of Joseon-era hanok houses between two palaces, within its visiting hours.

Check dates and pricesSmall-group walk: Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon lanes
Dora Observatory on the southern edge of the DMZ in Paju

Visit the DMZ from Paju, knowing the JSA is closed

Paju

About 3 hours on site, a full day from SeoulBook ahead

Walk an infiltration tunnel in a helmet, then look into the North from Dora Observatory.

Tours in South Korea
The granite ridge of Ulsanbawi in Seoraksan National Park

Climb to Ulsanbawi in Seoraksan National Park

Sokcho

Four to five hours for the Ulsanbawi trailNo booking needed

Climb past a temple and a boulder everyone tries to rock, then up steep stairs to a granite ridge at 873 m.

Tours in South Korea
Haeundae Beach in Busan with the city's towers behind the sand

Spend a day on Haeundae Beach and its coastal railway

Busan (Haeundae)

Free

Walk Busan's long city beach, then ride a beach train along 4.8 km of old railway on the cliffs.

Tours in South Korea
Painted houses stepping down the hillside of Gamcheon Culture Village at sunset

Follow the stamp map through Gamcheon Culture Village

Busan (Saha-gu)

Free

Let a stamp map route you through the stepped, colourful alleys and lookouts of a hillside village built by war refugees.

Tours in South Korea
Neon-lit streets of the Hongdae nightlife district in Seoul

Go from street music to live clubs in Hongdae

Seoul (Mapo)

No booking needed

Start with buskers on the pedestrian streets, move to jazz after 21:00 and dance until the first train.

Tours in South Korea
Pork belly sizzling on a tabletop grill at a Korean barbecue restaurant

Grill pork in Mapo's Dohwa-dong barbecue alley

Seoul (Mapo)

No booking needed

Grill pork skirt over charcoal at a tin drum table while beaten egg cooks in the channel around the grill.

Tours in South Korea
Pancakes and pan-fried fish and vegetables on display at Gwangjang Market

Eat bindaetteok and mayak gimbap at Gwangjang Market

Seoul (Jongno)

No booking needed

Sit on a bench at a stall counter and eat mung bean pancakes fried in front of you, then small rice rolls with mustard.

Tours in South Korea
Cheonggyecheon stream and a footbridge near Cheonggye Plaza at sunrise

Walk Cheonggyecheon Stream from the plaza to the market

Seoul (Jongno and Jung-gu)

Free

Walk below street level along a stream that spent decades under a highway, under old stone bridges, to dinner at Gwangjang Market.

Aerial view of the Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone and its crater on Jeju

Watch sunrise from the rim of Seongsan Ilchulbong

Seongsan, Jeju Island

About 30 minutes up, 1.5 hours in allGo alone or with a tour

Climb about 30 minutes of stairs to see the sun come up from the rim of a cone that rose from the sea.

Check dates and pricesEast Jeju day: Seongsan, haenyeo show, lava tube
The walkway along the top of the Hwaseong Fortress wall in Suwon

Walk the 5.7 km wall of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon

Suwon

Half a day for the wall and the palaceNo booking needed

Walk the 5.7 km loop on the ramparts of King Jeongjo's fortress, then shoot ten arrows with a traditional bow.

Tours in South Korea
Tiled hanok roofs in Jeonju Hanok Village

Stay a night in Jeonju Hanok Village

Jeonju

Free

Sleep in a hanok guesthouse among some 700 traditional houses and walk the lanes early, before the day visitors arrive.

Tours in South Korea
The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain lit in colour along Banpo Bridge at night

Take an evening boat on the Han River past Banpo Bridge

Seoul (Yeouido)

About an hour on the waterBook ahead

Sail past Seoul's lit bridges at night as the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain throws coloured jets off both sides of Banpo Bridge.

Tours in South Korea
The entrance to a hot kiln room in a Korean jjimjilbang

Spend an evening in a Seoul jjimjilbang (Dragon Hill is shut)

Seoul (Dongdaemun)

No booking needed

Soak in hot pools, sweat in kiln saunas and nap on heated floors at a bathhouse that stays open all night.

Tours in South Korea
Cherry trees in bloom over the Yeojwacheon stream in Jinhae

See Jinhae's cherry trees during Gunhangje

Jinhae, Changwon

No booking needed

Walk the blossom-lined stream and old railway of a naval port planted with about 360,000 cherry trees.

Tours in South Korea
Painted walls on a hillside lane in Ihwa Mural Village

Climb through Ihwa Mural Village to the Seoul City Wall

Seoul (Jongno)

Free

Climb a quiet hillside of murals to Naksan Park and follow the Seoul City Wall along the ridge in late-afternoon light.

The Cheongungyo and Baegungyo stone stairways at the entrance of Bulguksa

See Bulguksa Temple and the Seokguram Buddha in one morning

Gyeongju

Half a day for bothFree

Climb Silla stone stairways to two pagodas, then ride up to a granite Buddha in its grotto, with a view toward the East Sea.

Tours in South Korea
Shoppers on a pedestrian street in Myeongdong, Seoul

Snack along Myeongdong's street stalls

Seoul (Jung-gu)

No booking needed

Snack your way down Myeongdong's lanes as the lights come on, from egg bread to tornado potatoes and grilled skewers.

Tours in South Korea
N Seoul Tower on Namsan at sunset

Ride up Namsan to N Seoul Tower for the night view

Seoul (Namsan)

No booking needed

Ride up the hill in the middle of Seoul for sunset and stay at the tower until the city's lights come on.

Tours in South Korea
Rows of tea bushes following the hillside at a Boseong tea plantation

Walk the tea terraces of Daehan Dawon in Boseong

Boseong

No booking needed

Walk from a cedar avenue through bamboo into hillside rows of green tea, then up to a lookout with the sea in view.

Tours in South Korea
The cycle path along the Han River in Seoul

Ride a Seoul Bike along the Han River paths

Seoul (Han River parks)

No booking needed

Ride a public bike along the Han from Yeouido to Banpo in time for the fountain show, at 1,000 won an hour.

Tours in South Korea
The bronze Hand of Harmony rising from the sea at Homigot

Catch sunrise at Homigot and its Hands of Harmony

Homigot, Pohang

Free

On the right morning, the sun rises between the bronze fingers of a giant hand reaching up from the sea.

Tours in South Korea
Thatched and tiled houses in Hahoe Folk Village, Andong

Watch the mask dance drama in Hahoe Folk Village

Andong

No booking needed

Watch masked players mock the upper classes in a dance drama performed in this river-bend village for around 800 years.

Tours in South Korea
Golgulsa temple on Hamwolsan, east of Gyeongju

Train in Seonmudo at a Golgulsa templestay

Gyeongju (Yangbuk)

One or two nightsBook ahead

Join the early-morning chanting and train in Seonmudo, meditation joined with martial arts, below a Buddha carved into a cliff.

Tours in South Korea
Buyongjeong pavilion on the edge of Buyongji pond in the Secret Garden

Tour the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung with a timed ticket

Seoul (Jongno)

Timed entry

Follow a guide up wooded hillside to the ponds and pavilions laid out for the Joseon kings behind Changdeokgung.

Tours in South Korea
A tree-lined avenue on Nami Island

Take the ferry to Nami Island from Gapyeong

Gapyeong

No booking needed

Take the short ferry to a river island and walk its metasequoia avenue, the photo everyone comes for.

Tours in South Korea
The Baengnokdam crater at the summit of Hallasan in winter

Climb Hallasan to the Baengnokdam crater with a trail permit

Jeju Island

Up to 10 hours returnTimed entry

Climb South Korea's highest mountain to the crater lake at its summit, on one of two trails with a daily cap.

Tours in South Korea

Plan your trip

  • When to go

    April and October are the classic months. Cherry blossom starts in the south at the end of March (Jinhae's festival ran from 27 March to 5 April in 2026) and reaches Seoul in the first half of April; autumn colour fills Seoraksan and the palace gardens in October, which is also when the mountain trails are most crowded. Summer is hot and humid, and Busan's beaches are supervised for swimming from late June to mid September. Winter is cold and dry, the season for the Homigot New Year sunrise and snow on Hallasan. Seoraksan's high trails close for wildfire prevention in spring and again from mid November to mid December.

  • How many days

    Ten days covers Seoul for four days, with one day for the DMZ and one for Suwon, then two in Gyeongju and two or three in Busan. With two weeks, add Jeju by plane for three or four days, or Seoraksan via Sokcho for two, or a night in a hanok in Jeonju or Andong. Seoul's palaces are spread over the week on purpose: Gyeongbokgung closes on Tuesdays and Changdeokgung on Mondays.

  • Getting around

    KTX high-speed trains link Seoul with Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju and Andong; book ahead for Friday and Sunday travel. Express and intercity buses reach every town, often more often than trains. In Seoul and Busan the subway is the way to move, and every Seoul entry here names the station and exit, because exits can be hundreds of metres apart. A transport card such as T-money pays for subways, city buses and the Hangang Bus ferry. Jeju has no trains: fly from Gimpo or Busan, then use island buses or a rental car.

  • Entry rules

    Citizens of Spain can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Korea has waived the K-ETA travel authorisation for 22 countries and regions, including Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, until 31 December 2026, according to the Korean embassy in Spain (notice checked on 25 October 2026). Exempt travellers fill in an arrival card instead, online on the e-Arrival Card site within 72 hours before landing or on paper. A K-ETA stays optional at 10,000 won and lets you skip the arrival card. Several EU countries, Portugal and Ireland among them, are not on the exemption list, so their citizens need a K-ETA.

  • Money and payments

    The currency is the won. Cards work almost everywhere, including about 300 Myeongdong street stalls since 2024, but carry some cash for market stalls, small temples and rural buses. Many sights cost little or nothing: palace entry is 3,000 won and free if you wear a hanbok, and Bulguksa and Seokguram have charged no entrance fee since May 2023. A Seoul Bike hour costs 1,000 won and a Hangang Bus ride 3,000 won.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need a K-ETA to visit South Korea?

Not if your passport is from one of the 22 exempt countries and regions, which include Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US; the exemption runs until 31 December 2026. Exempt travellers fill in an arrival card instead, online up to 72 hours before landing or on paper. Other nationalities need an approved K-ETA (10,000 won) before boarding.

Can you still visit the JSA at Panmunjom?

No. Public visits to the Joint Security Area have been suspended since 18 July 2023, and the Ministry of Unification says any restart will be announced on its own site. Tours sold with JSA in the name visit other places. Standard DMZ tours from Paju still go to the Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory; bring your passport.

Is Gyeongbokgung Palace closed on Tuesdays?

Yes, every Tuesday; when a Tuesday is a public holiday it opens and closes on the next weekday instead. Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden close on Mondays, so one of the two big palaces is always open.

Can you enter Seoul's palaces free in a hanbok?

Yes. Visitors wearing a complete hanbok enter Gyeongbokgung and the other royal palaces free, and the same rule applies at Hwaseong Haenggung in Suwon. Rental shops near the palace gates hire them by the hour. The Secret Garden tour at Changdeokgung is a separate ticket.

When do cherry blossoms bloom in South Korea?

The south blooms first: Busan and Jinhae usually at the end of March and in early April, Seoul in the first half of April. Jinhae's Gunhangje festival ran from 27 March to 5 April in 2026. Dates move each year with the bloom forecast, which is published in late winter.

Do you need a reservation to hike Hallasan?

Only on the two summit trails, Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa, which are capped at 1,000 and 500 hikers a day. The permit is free, booked on the national park's reservation site, which has an English version, and checked at the gate with your passport. Yeongsil and Eorimok need no booking but stop below the summit.

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